什么是初乳？初乳对宝宝有什么好处？ What is colostrum? How does it benefit my baby?

Your breasts produce colostrum beginning during pregnancy and continuing through the early days of breastfeeding. This special milk is yellow to orange in color and thick and sticky. It is low in fat, and high in carbohydrates, protein, and antibodies to help keep your baby healthy. Colostrum is extremely easy to digest, and is therefore the perfect first food for your baby. It is low in volume (measurable in teaspoons rather than ounces), but high in concentrated nutrition for the newborn. Colostrum has a laxative effect on the baby, helping him pass his early stools, which aids in the excretion of excess bilirubin and helps prevent jaundice.

乳房在怀孕期间就开始产生初乳并在产后前几天内持续分泌初乳。初乳这一特殊乳汁颜色呈黄色或桔色，性质粘稠。初乳含脂肪量少，但富含有助于宝宝健康的碳水化合物、蛋白质及抗体。初乳非常容易被消化，因此是您宝宝最完美的第一道食物。初乳量不多（也就几茶匙量）但为新生儿提供了丰富的浓缩营养。初乳有通便的作用，促进宝宝排胎粪，带出过量胆红素，从而预防黄疸的发生）。

When your baby is breastfed early and often, your breasts will begin producing mature milk around the third or fourth day after birth. Your milk will then increase in volume and will generally begin to appear thinner and whiter (more opaque) in color. In those first few days it is extremely important to breastfeed your newborn at least 8-12 times each 24 hours, and more often is even better. This allows your baby to get all the benefits of the colostrum and also stimulates production of a plentiful supply of mature milk. Frequent breastfeeding also helps prevent engorgement.

如果您产后给您的宝宝早哺乳，常哺乳的话，您的乳房就能在3或4天开始分泌成熟乳。那时，您的产乳量将会增加，乳汁变稀变白（更不透明）。在产后最初的几天里，很重要的一点就是每24小时内要给新生儿哺乳至少8至12次，能超过12次当然更好。这有助于宝宝完全利用初乳的营养，并刺激乳房生产充足的成熟乳。频繁喂养还可预防涨奶。

Your colostrum provides not only perfect nutrition tailored to the needs of your newborn, but also large amounts of living cells which will defend your baby against many harmful agents. The concentration of immune factors is much higher in colostrum than in mature milk.

您的初乳不仅仅为您的新生儿提供了符合他/她个体需求的完美营养，还提供大量活细胞帮助宝宝抵抗各种有害病原。初乳中免疫成分含量要远远高于成熟乳。

Colostrum actually works as a natural and 100% safe vaccine. It contains large quantities of an antibody called secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) which is a new substance to the newborn. Before your baby was born, he received the benefit of another antibody, called IgG, through your placenta. IgG worked through the baby‘‘s circulatory system, but IgA protects the baby in the places most likely to come under attack from germs, namely the mucous membranes in the throat, lungs, and intestines.

初乳实际上相当于天然的、百分百安全的一剂疫苗。它含有大量免疫球蛋白A（IgA）抗体－这是新生儿体内所没有的。宝宝出生前得益的抗体叫免疫球蛋白G（IgG），来自胎盘。免疫球蛋白G（IgG）主要作用于宝宝的循环系统，免疫球蛋白A（IgA）主要保护宝宝最易遭细菌侵袭的部位如咽喉黏膜，肺黏膜和肠黏膜。

Colostrum has an especially important role to play in the baby‘‘s gastrointestinal tract. A newborn‘‘s intestines are very permeable. Colostrum seals the holes by “painting” the gastrointestinal tract with a barrier which mostly prevents foreign substances from penetrating and possibly sensitizing a baby to foods the mother has eaten.

初乳对宝宝的胃肠道发挥着极其重要的作用。新生儿的肠道具有很大渗透性，初乳象是给胃肠道加涂了一层膜，封堵了肠壁上的孔隙，从而防止外来物质侵入、防止宝宝对妈妈摄入的食物而有可能产生的过敏。

Colostrum also contains high concentrations of leukocytes, protective white cells which can destroy disease-causing bacteria and viruses.

初乳还含有高浓度白血球，这一具有保护作用的白血球可消灭致病的细菌和病毒。

The colostrum gradually changes to mature milk during the first two weeks after birth. During this transition, the concentrations of the antibodies in your milk decrease, but your milk volume greatly increases. The disease-fighting properties of human milk do not disappear with the colostrum. In fact, as long as your baby receives your milk, he will receive immunological protection against many different viruses and bacteria.

产后两周内，初乳逐渐变成熟乳。在这一转变过程中，母乳中抗体浓度减少了，但乳量急剧增加了。不过，母乳中的抗疾病成分不会随初乳的消失而消失。事实上，只要宝宝在吃母乳，他/她就能持续获得抗病毒和细菌的免疫性保护。